Why Your Business Should Start Texting From Your VoIP App

By Nate Rand

If your business does not already use SMS text messaging, you may wonder why you should even bother.

Why text? Because everyone does. And you need to use text messaging too, because this is a fun, friendly form of communication that can really boost your business. Seriously. Now you can text from your VoIP app and make the process easy (not to mention, profitable).

Here are just a few benefits of business texting:

Grow your customer base

Reach people where they already communicate

Communicate quickly

We hope to convince you that texting is great for business, easy to use and fast. In this article, we will talk about some of the great benefits for you, such as:

Reaching everyone

Communicating easily and quickly

Use what you (probably) already have

1. Reach everyone (well, reach 97% of Americans, anyway)

Text messaging-capable devices are very common in the United States and texting is a widely-used form of everyday communication by the majority of Americans. People use texting as part of their daily lives. Every member of the family now uses texting and it is no longer just a communication tool embraced by younger generations.

Texting, truthfully, once had a bit of a bad reputation as something teenagers did to annoy adults. People hid their phones while texting in public, removing smartphones out of view so they could avoid the inevitable criticism. Employees hid their phones and would never admit to texting at work, even if they really were. It was incredibly taboo in business settings.

That is quickly changing. Every generation uses texting now, and many businesses use collaboration and chat platforms in the workplace that are very similar to texting. Some workplaces do use or allow texting at work.

Why does this create opportunity for your business?

Reach customers where they already are. Your customers already use text messaging in their personal lives, which means they are already comfortable with the technology and reading their text messages.

Give your business a cool, tech-savvy image. While texting is becoming common in the business world, it can still give you a hip and modern image with some customers. You are showing to them that you care about connecting with your customer base, wherever they are.

Use a form of communication that everyone already has. The platform is worth investing in if you know most people use it, right?

2. Communicate quickly and easily.

Texting takes just moments to do and appears instantly on your customer’s phones. So, it is worthwhile to invest the time. Most of the time it takes to text involves writing the messages. Some forms of communication are more extensive, but texting is quick enough to keep a conversation going without missing a beat. It requires less effort than sending an email, but you benefit from having a copy of the message right in front of you. Replying to the message is also super-simple. For quick questions or simple communications, sending text messages is much more efficient than other forms of communication.

Communicating quickly with your customers, coworkers and others is a huge benefit to your business. You can avoid wasting time using a complex platform or trying to find a email thread to reply to.

3. Use equipment you (probably) already have.

Businesses that already have a VoIP provider offering text messaging can start texting with same equipment and service, so you may already have everything you need to get started. The same apps that enable VoIP phone calls can allow you to text.

Texting could even replace your workplace collaboration apps or chat. Since you probably all already have cell phones or VoIP chat apps, why not make the leap to texting for internal communications? It can save you effort, possibly save you money and it uses existing technology. If you own a SMB, you may need to save your resources and keep your operations as efficient as possible. So, using workplace texting could make sense for your business.

Using VoIP Apps to Text: What are the Benefits?

VoIP apps add extra features to texting and are generally better for businesses. If you are wondering why you should use these apps instead of simply using cell phones, in this section we will discuss some important reasons to consider using your VoIP app.

VoIP apps:

Improve messaging security: An app adds a layer of security and helps to keep your messages redundantly recorded. For businesses that want more control over how secure their text messaging is, VoIP providers secure all communications and text messages benefit from this added security, too. Plus, if you receive email notifications along with your VoIP text messages, then you have an email copy to help you avoid missing text messages or encountering problems.

Reduce the costs of messaging: You probably will not need to pay more for texting if you already have VoIP service, so each text helps you communicate more without spending more money. It makes communication ultimately much cheaper.

Benefit from easy communications: With the same apps and tools you are already using, you can easily make the switch to texting more often. You are probably already familiar and comfortable with the apps and equipment you will use to text, so there is nothing new to learn and no expensive new equipment to buy.

Internal/External Business Communications Made Simple

Texting is business communication made simple. You can grow your business, reach new audiences, stay in touch with your customers, send reminders, ask questions and do so much more with text messaging. It is a very fast and friendly means of communication that many businesses are starting to discover. It uses what you already have to communicate quickly and easily with everyone your business needs to reach.

With many business decisions, a significant amount of resources must be invested to effectively make a change or see results. You can make texting part of your company’s strategy without sacrificing a lot of resources, making a substantial investment or drastically changing your operations. Your sales, marketing and customer service teams, in particular, can benefit from this effective and easy way to reach more people. In time, your entire business may adopt texting as a communication tool.

Top Tips for Texting From Your VoIP App

Ready to start using text? Here is what you need to do.

Already have a VoIP app? See if you can use it to text. If you are not sure, ask your vendor for help.

Need VoIP? It may be worth the investment if you plan to text frequently and think your business could benefit from VoIP service. Many businesses save money on their phone bills thanks to VoIP, so it is definitely something to consider.

Use texting for internal communications, appointment reminders, contacting job applicants to thank them for their interest, communicating with new customers, and other uses. Texting has nearly endless possibilities.

Remember, just as there is phone etiquette and people can tell if a caller is rude, texting also has etiquette and it is possible to harm your business reputation with careless messages. If you have employees who will be texting the public, provide some form of training so everyone is on the same page and knows what is inappropriate or not allowed.